Exposure of the skin to ultraviolet rays causes inflammation, immune suppression, oxidation, DNA damage, and the like, resulting in reduced moisture content, wrinkle formation, reduced elasticity, acceleration of aging of the skin, and the like. In general, for the aforementioned aggravated skin properties, moisturizing agents and other ingredients are administered in the form of an external preparation.
Meanwhile, a means for the improvement of skin properties by orally ingesting moisturizing ingredients, anti-inflammatory ingredients, and the like has recently been reported (Patent Documents 1 and 2). Further, it has been reported that Streptococcus thermophilus inhibits atopic dermatitis (Patent Document 3) and that bacteria belonging to the genus Bifidobacterium improve the skin thickness and a reduction in elasticity (Patent Docuement 4), respectively.